KateYHuang
07-31-2004, 08:27 PM
Chinese Businesswoman Jailed for Owning Banned Books
Yanyan Qiu and her mother On February 19th, officials from the Beijing ChaoYang Public Security Substation seized 33-year-old Yanyan Qiu from her office and imprisoned her in the Chaoyang Detention center. The Public Security officials then broke into her home, searched it without a warrant, and seized her computer, printer, several books, and her mother¡¦s and her passports. Ms. Qiu was held for a month, and interrogated frequently, before formal charges were filed against her. On March 26, Qiu was sentenced, without trial, to a two-and-one-half year term in Beijing Daxing forced labor camp. The charge leading to her sentence was the possession of books relating to Falun Gong, the banned exercise and meditation practice.
While in the Chaoyang Detention Center, Qiu was told that she could earn a reduced sentence by agreeing to inform on other Falun Gong practitioners. Qiu refused.
Yanyan Qiu was an Honors graduate from China¡¦s prestigious Beijing University who has been employed by Beijing Yanlong Corporation for more than ten years. Because she is fluent in English, German and Urdu, she often acted as interpreter at business meetings, and has played a crucial role in developing new products in cooperation with foreign companies. She frequently traveled to visit business clients in the US and Germany. Ms. Qiu was scheduled to come to the United States on a business trip on February 20th, one day after her arrest.
Since her arrest, Ms. Qiu has been allowed a supervised one-hour visit from her 68-year-old mother. She told her mother that she and hundreds of other Falun Gong practitioners held in the labor camp were all forced to endure grueling brainwashing classes designed to force them to renounce Falun Gong. These classes were particularly difficult for the many elderly practitioners, Qiu said.
Yanyan Qiu and her mother On February 19th, officials from the Beijing ChaoYang Public Security Substation seized 33-year-old Yanyan Qiu from her office and imprisoned her in the Chaoyang Detention center. The Public Security officials then broke into her home, searched it without a warrant, and seized her computer, printer, several books, and her mother¡¦s and her passports. Ms. Qiu was held for a month, and interrogated frequently, before formal charges were filed against her. On March 26, Qiu was sentenced, without trial, to a two-and-one-half year term in Beijing Daxing forced labor camp. The charge leading to her sentence was the possession of books relating to Falun Gong, the banned exercise and meditation practice.
While in the Chaoyang Detention Center, Qiu was told that she could earn a reduced sentence by agreeing to inform on other Falun Gong practitioners. Qiu refused.
Yanyan Qiu was an Honors graduate from China¡¦s prestigious Beijing University who has been employed by Beijing Yanlong Corporation for more than ten years. Because she is fluent in English, German and Urdu, she often acted as interpreter at business meetings, and has played a crucial role in developing new products in cooperation with foreign companies. She frequently traveled to visit business clients in the US and Germany. Ms. Qiu was scheduled to come to the United States on a business trip on February 20th, one day after her arrest.
Since her arrest, Ms. Qiu has been allowed a supervised one-hour visit from her 68-year-old mother. She told her mother that she and hundreds of other Falun Gong practitioners held in the labor camp were all forced to endure grueling brainwashing classes designed to force them to renounce Falun Gong. These classes were particularly difficult for the many elderly practitioners, Qiu said.